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Published October 27, 2020

Ghost Stories from The Octagon

The best (and maybe true) ghost stories from The Octagon

By Jen Levisen

Editor

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Mysterious footprints. The sound of silver and the clink of glass. Ringing call bells. Lilac scent so strong you can't breathe. The Octagon, one of the oldest homes in Washington, D.C., and currentheadquarters of the Architects Foundation, is widely considered to be the most haunted home in Washington, after the White House.

"Now this is most likely because of it's age," says Architects Foundation Executive Director, Marci Reed. "Ghost stories as we know them today began to gain popularity after the Civil War, when a lot of people were killed far from home and the mourning practices of the time had to adjust to account for the fact that you might never see your loved one's body. Prior to the Civil War, most people died at home and it fell to the women of the family to lay out their loved ones and prepare them for burial. The rise of funeral homes post-Civil War created a disconnect in the mourning process.

"The idea of ghosts and ghost stories about the house existed before the war, but they aren't widely reported on/picked up until after the 1860s," continues Marci. "It is after the Tayloes moved out, when the house begins to be rented to various groups and begins to fall into disrepair that the stories start picking up."

Marci toured us through some of The Octagon's more spirited spaces this week in the inaugural episode of The Forum LIVE on Instagram. Take a peek.

Daughters Falling in Staircase

This is one of The Octagon's most pervasive ghost stories, and one even retold by Jackie Kennedy. Stories range from one of the Tayloe's daughters being pushed over the railing, to tripping over a cat, to flinging themselves over the railing in response to her father's wrath over unsuitable beau. However, staff have death records for all of the Tayloe's children and none died at The Octagon, or align with the stories passed down over the years.

See the Staircase >

The ghost of Colonel John Tayloe, who died at The Octagon in 1828, has been reported at various points throughout the home's history, including by a granddaughter in the mid-1800s. More recently, a sighting happened while a staff member was waxing the floors in the Treaty Room and saw clear footprints appear from the fireplace to the window. And in 2016, during training an employee claimed to see a man in black period clothes walking up the stairs.

See the Treaty Room >

Woman Cooking in the Cellar

There is little doubt that The Octagon’s basement, or cellar, is one of the home’s creepier spaces. The fact that it's cooler, darker, and damper than the rest of the building doesn't help. A few years ago, a staff member claims to have seen an African American woman in the kitchen in front of the fireplace. The woman then walked across the room toward the bathrooms (which was the originally pantry), triggering the motion detection lights.

See the Cellar >

While President James and Dolley Madison lived at The Octagon for six months after the 1814 Burning of Washington, Dolley continued her practice of holding Wednesday evening gatherings, so popular they became known as "squeezes" because people were literally squeezed into the room. Legend says that visitors to the Octagon are able to smell Dolley's "favorite" lilac perfume when her ghost is around.

See the Space >

Ringing Call Bells

This is the oldest of The Octagon's ghost stories and one that can't be disproved. It is said that the ringing call bells were attributed to the ghosts of dead slaves, or of John Tayloe himself. One account in 1911, said that bells began to ring during dinner, and the party was unable to account for why they were ringing. One gentleman held the rope that controlled the bells and was lifted up off the ground.

See the Dining Room >

Before the AIA purchased The Octagon in 1898, the home was tenement housing. A 1912 newspaper article relayed the story of a man, who had stayed in a room for over a month, claiming he was visited nightly by the spirit of a man killed over a card game held in the same room during the tenement days.

See the Space >

Relive the LIVE show to hear more from Marci on the spirited

spaces at The Octagon.

FORUM LIVE: GHOST STORIES FROM THE OCTAGON

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MARCI REED

Executive Director, Architects Foundation

ARCHITECTS FOUNDATION >

TOUR THE OCTAGON >

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